The first season of "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch of Mercury" has finished, but fans have been paying close attention to it, trending on Twitter every week after the broadcast, and after the final episode, related words on Twitter ranked 1st to 10th, causing a huge response. The final episode ended with a shocking development, and I'm sure there are many fans who are wondering, "What will happen in the second season?" This time, I would like to look back on the first season, which was a hot topic.
Gundam for a new generation
今週も【#水星の魔女】がトレンド1位にランクイン！
その他、関連ワードも多数ランクインしています。前日譚「PROLOGUE」から本日放送の第12話まで、
毎回たくさんの投稿、本当にありがとうございました！#G_Witch pic.twitter.com/EDQfvRLGTR— 機動戦士ガンダム 水星の魔女 (@G_Witch_M) January 8, 2023
"Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch of Mercury" attracted a lot of attention, with related words trending every time it was broadcast. It was also a hot topic even before it aired, as it was the first Gundam series to feature a female protagonist. As it was the first TV series in seven years, the production team seemed to have explored the direction of what kind of Gundam it would be.
The Battle of the Undying Mobile Suits
Initially, the script was planned to follow the Gundam series so far. However, when thinking about the initial development of this Gundam, in order to cultivate new fans and to be accepted by the younger generation, especially teenagers, the idea of a school setting was conceived. And so, rather than a battle of mobile suits in a war, the idea of a battle of mobile suits was born in the form of a duel system at a school.
Excitement on SNS
◆◆第12話「逃げ出すよりも進むことを」◆◆#水星の魔女 Season1
ご視聴ありがとうございました！第12話のエンドカードは、
本作のコンセプトアートを担当する、
林絢雯(@junbun_lin)さん描き下ろしです。▼エンドカード一覧https://t.co/pgVRXwgYpE#G_Witch pic.twitter.com/BKbghdllHI
— 機動戦士ガンダム 水星の魔女 (@G_Witch_M) January 8, 2023
The story is a clever mix of the human drama of young people in school life and the ties of adults, and is peppered with catchy lines like "Double Star Dad" to make it accessible to even Gundam beginners, which I think is what has led to the excitement on social media. And the increase in new fans has created a virtuous cycle of further excitement.
It was Gundam after all...
At the beginning of the broadcast, there were some voices from Gundam fans saying "It's not Gundam", but after the special special, it gradually became more like the usual Gundam series. From Shadik Zeneli's secret activities to the terrorism of Faldo's dawn, I think many fans thought that the furious development of the last two episodes was Gundam after all.
The mystery of Sletta Mercury! ?
I'm sure there are many people who are wondering, "Who is Sletta Mercury after all?!" Sletta, who transferred to the school as Prospera's daughter, is 17 years old. From the conversation between Prospera and Belmeria, we can see that the story takes place 21 years after "PROLOGUE", so Prospera's daughter Erikuto Samaya was 4 years old at the time, so her age doesn't match that of Sletta Mercury.
Is this a setting intended by the production team?
At first, I thought that Erikuto Samaya had changed his name to Sletta Mercury and transferred to the school. I think many people thought so because Elnora Samaya had changed her name to Prospera and appeared as the CEO of Shinsei. When it was discovered halfway through that Elnora Samaya and Sletta's ages did not match, various speculations were made among fans, but this may have been as the production team had intended.
Who is Sletta Mercury?
If Sletta ≠ Elect, then who is Sletta? Sletta thinks of Prospera as her mother. At the time of "PROLOGUE", Prospera's husband Nadim Samaya had passed away, so perhaps she is a sister with a different father. Or perhaps she is a clone like Puru Two, or an enhanced human created with a completely new technology. It seems we will have to wait for the mystery to be revealed in the second season.
Prospera's "curse"?
And the most shocking thing was Sleta's transformation in the final episode. Sleta was trembling as she watched people die in the terrorist attack at dawn on Ford, but in a way that didn't sound like a mother worried about Prospera's daughter, she urged Sleta to get on the Aerial and said, "If you run away, it's one, if you go forward, it's two." After that, Sleta's expression changed as if her personality had changed and she went out on the Aerial, but when I saw her smiling calmly even after crushing a living person with the Aerial, I wondered where the Sleta had gone. Where will Sletta go from here? We can only hope that someone will appear who will return her to her former self.
Where Guell Jetark Goes
In addition to Sletta Mercury, another character whose future is of interest is Guell Jetark. At the beginning of the story, Guell was a pathetic, egoistic character, but through his duel with Sletta, he begins to care about her and his attitude changes. After being abandoned by his father, he abandoned his identity as the heir of a wealthy family and became independent, which made him more likable, and I'm sure there were many people who were looking forward to seeing what happened next.
It was Gundam after all...
It can only be said to be a twist of fate, but due to the terrorist attack at dawn on Faldo, they fight in mobile suits without knowing who they are, and Guell kills his father. It's a common situation in the Gundam series, but I didn't think it would attack Guell. It's a tragedy that strikes just when he is finally trying to get back to his true self.
What will happen to Guell in the second season?
What will Guell do in the second season? It was Shadik Zeneli's betrayal that caused the death of Guell's father, Vim J'Tag, and without the terrorist attack at Faldo's Dawn, Guell would not have had to fight his father. I think it will also depend on what happens to Grasley, but will he take revenge on Shadik, or will he go to Faldo's Dawn? Either way, I hope Guell's future is bright.
Is Prospera Mercury the greatest evil?
When the story began, Deling Rembrandt was the villain in "The Witch of Mercury." He was the one who caused the Vanadis Incident in "PROLOGUE," and as the hero who put an end to the Vanadis Incident, he took control and did as he pleased, saying, "The rule is that those without power must obey silently."
Did Deling know that Prospera = Elnora Samaya!?
The most surprising scene was in episode 11, when Prospera had a normal conversation with Dering. To Prospera, Dering was her husband's enemy and the target of her revenge.
Prospera: "I have reflected Aerial's network construction pattern. Quiet Zero can now proceed to the final stage."
Dering: "Now it's my plan."
Prospera: "Of course."
The two were connected behind the scenes. I thought that the reason why Sletta and Aerial were transferred to the school was to take revenge directly. In reality, they used duels to increase Aerial's Parmet score. And it was Deling who created the duel system. The story from "PROLOGUE" to episode 10 seems like a grandiose pretense.
What is Quiet Zero?
From the conversation between the two, we can see that "Quiet Zero" was originally Prospera's plan. So what kind of plan is "Quiet Zero"? At this stage, it is only a guess, but it may be the mass production of Gundams that do not put a burden on pilots. For that reason, Aerial's network construction pattern, which reached Parmet score 6, was necessary.
Prospera is the key to the second season
So, the question is whether Prospera is completely cooperating with Deling. Since this is a "Gundam work", it can't end like this, right? Maybe she intends to use Deling to take over "Quiet Zero" in the end. Is that Prospera's revenge? But if that's the case, I'm curious who the enemy that the main character, Sletta, will face will be. It's possible that the final opponent will be Prospera, and I'm curious to see how things develop in the future.
Summary of a look back at the first season
I wrote, "Is Prospera Mercury the greatest evil?" But has there ever been any true "evil" in Gundam works? In Mobile Suit Gundam, the Federation and the Principality of Zeon were at war, but in the end, it depends on which perspective you look at it from, and even if they are "enemies," I don't think they are "evil." "Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket" might be the easiest to understand. And what kind of ending awaits "Mercury Witch"? If possible, I would like the ending to be something that has never been seen before in the history of the Gundam series.
